For too long, the CTA, Metra and Pace have operated like separate and competing fiefdoms rather than a unified transit agency that can seamlessly serve their combined 326 million passengers a year.
The result of all this has been separate fare collection methods, service boards — each with their own budgets — that don’t communicate well with each other, and transit schedules that make it hard to make timely connections from one system to another.
Throw in the current and well-documented problems lately with the region’s largest transit agency, the CTA, and that all three carriers face a combined $730 million deficit in early 2026 after federal COVID-19 funding ends, and it’s clear it’s time for a different approach.
Luckily, two new proposals seek to bring the change that’s needed. We believe they are both worthy of consideration.
A pair of Chicago Democrats, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, have introduced legislation in Springfield to create a super agency called the Metropolitan Mobility Authority that would replace the Regional Transportation Authority, CTA, Metra and Pace.
Creating a professional, single transit authority for the region is a big lift that must be skillfully done. But we like the idea that combining agencies could bring an integrated fare structure and improve service across the board.
A companion bill to provide $1.5 billion in additional yearly transit funding, if it can be done, is also good. So is the idea that a consolidated agency could reduce the vast expense of maintaining three separate transit bureaucracies.
“We need to have a robust conversation and make major strides to achieve the regional transit system our constituents deserve, one that is integrated, and commuter-centered,” Villivalam said.
“I imagine a time where riders will enjoy a seamless experience where they can easily jump on a bus or a train, feel safe, feel comfortable, pay one universal fare and arrive at their destination on time,” Delgado said.
Meanwhile, the Civic Federation released a position paper last week calling for an improved and better funded RTA that would take over and operate all three transit agencies, saving the state between $200 million to $250 million a year.
“This moment calls for bold thinking in the best interest of the public and a dramatic reimagining of what is possible for our transit services,” Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson said.
Agreed. Especially if that reimagining means CTA boss Dorval Carter is shown the door and a transit-savvy new board is seated. To that end, we suggest Springfield give the measures the hearing they deserve.
The Sun-Times welcomes letters to the editor and op-eds. Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.
Carter has delivered on the promise then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel made in 2015 — that Carter would win federal funding for major projects. But he has failed at day-to-day operations and customer service, mass transit experts say.
By Fran Spielman
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Four robberies or beatings occurred on the Red Line from May 6-10, carried out by at least four young women and a male, Chicago police said in a community alert.
By Mohammad Samra
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $800 million in tax changes and enhancements would help close the state’s budget deficit, the group noted, but “further tax increases could prove unsustainable for taxpayers given the State’s already high tax burden.”
By Tina Sfondeles
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Of the City Council’s 50 members, 19 — and counting — have signed a non-binding resolution demanding Carter’s ouster. The resolution lays out a lengthy bill of particulars against Carter.
By Fran Spielman
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Two new proposals seek to bring the change that’s needed. We believe they are both worthy of consideration.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam and state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado are calling for the creation of the Metropolitan Mobility Authority to oversee all public transit operations and replace the RTA.
By Violet Miller
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CTA President Carter has held the job since 2015 and has served under three mayors. It’s time for a new captain who can right CTA’s ship and restore public confidence in public transit’s future.
About 14% of those in the apprenticeship program found permanent full-time employment with the transit agency, a Sun-Times investigation found. Others, some strung along for years, remained in low-paying roles with no benefits.
The proposed funding is a critical part of the Red Line extension project, which the CTA expects to cost a total of $3.6 billion.
By David Struett
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Dorval Carter Jr. got a rough ride from CTA riders — but a markedly smoother one from the City Council’s Transportation Committee after recent efforts to increase hiring and promises to bolster service.
By Fran Spielman
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Service on the CTA Yellow Line resumed Friday after a nearly two-month suspension.
By Isabel Funk
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The Yellow Line, which connects north suburban Skokie to the city via the CTA, reopened to commuters Friday after a train collided with a snowplow on the tracks in November.
By Mary Norkol
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The transit agency has been running shuttle buses along the Skokie Swift line since the Nov. 16 crash near the Howard Street station, when a southbound train struck a CTA snowplow being used for training.
By David Struett
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